1. Meet PAOLA BRIGNETI
Photographer, Activist
Paola discovered that her activism grew as she learned
more and wanted to do to something to make the world
a more peaceful and happy place.
Her work with youth centered on the arts as a way to
help at-risk youth cope with the challenges of life…
youth who lived very rough lives and doing their best to
succeed. Her mentoring taught her that every moment
can be a teachable moment.
She also works in the field of women’s health and rights. And the more she learned, the more
she believed in women’s ability and potential to change the world. So she started volunteering
doing advocacy work in the field of women’s rights like Delta Women where she contributed
their advocacy strategy, program planning, and different awareness campaigns when it just
started out.
Paola plans to continue to find new ways to speak up for those whose voices have been
unfairly silenced and whose lives have been violently taken away from them.
2. Meet ZYANDA XASO,
Finance expert, Volunteer, Activist
Zyanda combines her two passions, writing and social activism through online volunteering with
Delta Women and Youth Leader Magazine. She believes that communities worldwide are also
faced with similar social issues and an exchange of ideas and solutions can go a long way
towards encouraging people and showing them that they are capable of tackling their own
issues.
When she returned to her hometown in
2007, she wanted to give back to her
community and make a difference in people’s
lives. So she joined a volunteer organization
that coordinated with charities that needed
help.
Discovering her true passion had not been
easy. Corruption was a major obstacle. While
working in a government department, she She hosted a fundraising dinner with a friend for
realized the need for civil organizations to the Reach for a Dream Foundation which was
work hand in hand with government to be covered in the local newspaper, the Daily
able to bring social change in the country. Dispatch.
She plans to continue her activism and further her studies with a focus in Development Studies.
3. Meet SUPREET KAUR,
Lawyer, Activist
Supreet is from India and a lawyer by profession working in the field of environment
To her, the determination to stand for a fellow human being in its fight for justice and survival is
what drives her into activism. The words of Malcolm X serves as an inspiration for her: , “I'm for
truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being,
first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
She is in activism to find a cure for a social
disease called ‘Sexism.’ She stresses though,
that it does not make her a feminist because
she is not upset when a movie portrays a
woman as the weaker sex. Nor is she against
men who think women are ‘slaves’ but is
against women who think they are no better
than their male counterparts.
Every woman should remember that to earn respect she has to learn to respect herself.
4. Meet MELLANEY ANGELLE HELENITA RODRIGUEZ
International Law student, Activist
Mellaney was born and raised on a small island in the Caribbean. She recalls in her childhood,
going to a circus and seeing all the beautiful elephants in shackles and chains. She begged her
parents to let the elephants walk free.
Today, 20 years later. She is To Mellaney,
working on getting her activism is a
bachelors degree in passion. It’s that
international law with a feeling deep down
specialization in Human in your core that
rights. A strong believer in you need to act, to
rights, she is currently contribute, to apply
interning for an NGO in the your skills to help in
Hague – Gender Concerns whatever it is that
International – which aims at has meaning to
promoting women’s political you, no matter how
participation. She also small your
contributes to Delta Women contribution.
by writing blogs regarding
women in law and society.
Activism is making a better future for the generations to come,
fighting the battles and paving a path for a better future for all
5. Meet LYLIN AGUAS,
Bank Professional, Volunteer
More than 5 years ago, a friend asked her to help support an NGO which focused on
eradicating poverty and aids in Africa. They’ve always had talks about how things were in
the world, the discrimination, violence, hate.
Being an emotional and sensitive person
that she is, It was inevitable that Lylin expressed
her emotions by writing them…telling the world
about the helpless and disadvantaged, the abused
and the discriminated.
She blogged about issues she found relevant.
Distance was no barrier. She found her blog read
and getting responses from people thousands of
miles away…people she didn’t know, people who
she touched and could relate to the issues
and also wanted to make a difference no matter
how small.
Wherever the future may lead her, Lylin sees herself as getting more involved in volunteer
or cause-oriented work.
6. Meet Elaheh Zohrevandi,
Teacher, Activist, the Girl with Big Dreams
Ela started working as a teacher when her friend introduced her to an NGO located in one of the
poorest places in downtown, Tehran. There, live hundreds of poor afghan kids who don't even
have enough food to grow up...not a surprising story as most of them have seen and worked
among these people.
Growing up in a colorful and varied city like Tehran, she learned how to close her eyes on beggars,
homeless kids and even sex-dealers. But working as a volunteer in DeltaWomen, she learned how
to open her eyes to the reality of the world. From being a political and fictional writer, Ela
has opened a new chapter in her life of being a worrier, an observer, someone who feels the pain
of kids and women.
As a young girl she was moved by the works of Shirin Ebadi, Iranian writer
and activist, who won her nobel prize when she was a fugitive, and had to
run away from her country to let the world hear her story. Ela tried to be
like her and became a runner-up for the Best New Writing Award.
Ela never tries to change the world but knows how to change HER
world...and it's going to be beautiful, safe and very colorful: Just
like a rainbow.